Mike Mignola's 'Hellboy' has been a favourite of mine for a while now, and it pains me to admit it wasn't the comics that got me in, but Guillermo del Toro's 'Hellboy' films. Not that there's anything wrong with the movies of course, it just seems to be that there's a negative stigma of starting with the film adaptation of something before reading the original source material. But this post isn't about the movies, it's about the comics and the ten reasons why you should be reading them. So let's get into it.
No. 1: The Story
'Hellboy' has so many elements that make it a great comic book, but the story is the one that ties everything else together. The fact that a demon is helping to save human beings from monsters is enough to get anyone interested, but it is the complexity of the main character's story that draws the reader in and keeps them interested.
No. 2: The Characters
Every character in the book has their own fleshed-out lives, battles and demons, each of them is one person trying to hold back the storm. Abe Sapien, Kate Corrigan and Liz Sherman are the most prominent of Hellboy's friends in 'Hellboy', but in 'B.P.R.D.' we are also given the expanded characterisations of Johann Kraus, Roger the Homunculus, Ben Daimio, Trevor Bruttenholm and Lobster Johnson. Of course these are just the good guys, but the bad guys are just as developed and determined, although we'll tackle them later.
No. 3: The Art
A great comic needs two things: a good story and art that matches the tone of the narrative; 'Hellboy' has both. Mike Mignola has provided the art for the majority of the run, but has recently relinquished art duties to Richard Corben and Fegredo, and while both artists have different styles, they both provide the creepy tone that the series is made for. While not as tone heavy as Mignola's work, Fegredo brings the same sense of artistry to the comics. Corben's style is completely differentfrom both of the previous artists, but brings a sweaty and uncomfortable feel to the story, perfectly suited to 'Hellboy'.
No. 4: The Mythology
The amount of well known mythology used in 'Hellboy' is amazing, and getting the chance to remember some of the old stories from my childhood is great. Things like pagan gods, myths, the King Arthur story and Baba Yaga are all deeply intertwined with the story of 'Hellboy' and give it a sense of realism in our lives and our world.
No. 5: The Bad Guys
The good guys have Hellboy and the B.P.R.D., the bad guys have the Nazis, gods, monsters, witches, the Ogdru Jahad and pig monsters. Basically the deck is stacked against us, but the good guys keep fighting anyway.The variety of villains Mignola gives to us is astounding, with the real life Nazis and many other mystical forces each providing a different facet to the 'Hellboy' universe.
No. 6: The Fights
Not much to say about this part except that the fights are great. Whether it's Hellboy against an army of Nazis, an ancient fish monster or a group of giants, our hero always finds a way to fighting his way out of any situation. And when he isn't using a pistol or a sword, it's his massive, stone right hand that paves the way for a beating.In Hellboy's own words, "BOOM!".
No. 7: The Monsters
With a demon as the main character, and his best friend looking like a half-eel/half-man-fish, it's not surprising that the book is filled to the brim with a diverse range of monsters. Nazi gorillas, golems, giants, fairies, frog-monsters, witches and men that can't die, 'Hellboy' features a huge cast of different creatures. While most are enemies, some are allies for our hero, and each one has it's own unique design and it's own creepy features.
No. 8: The Places
While Hellboy himself works for the United States-based Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, he manages to globe trot quite a bit. From the mundane expanses of the Earth in Ireland, Germany, and England, to the African savannah, mysterious islands and the bottom of the sea. The story takes our main character all over (and under) the world.
No. 9: Hellboy
This one may be cheating a bit, but i'll count it anyway. Hellboy, the cigar-smoking, monster-fighting, beer-drinking demon from hell, sent to destroy the world and choosing to save it instead. He is the reason you should be reading this comic book. If he just went around punching bad guys the book would get old quickly (so it's good this only happens half of the time), the character is flawed and fallible. He doesn't save everyone and he doesn't know all the answers, and that's why we can relate to him.
Well, those are my reasons for reading 'Hellboy', and i'll admit that it wasn't easy to pick them out. The whole mystic of 'Hellboy' blends together so well that it's hard to determine which piece is the best or better than the others. For me, it's easily the story, with each new installment either moving the story forward or giving us an insight into Hellboy himself and what drives him to be the guy that always there in the eleventh hour to save the planet. Mike Mignola has said he's got 15 more years of 'Hellboy' left to write, I say bring it on.
EXTRA: 'The Beasts of Burden/Hellboy' one-shot is out this Wednesday 27th October, and i'll be reviewing it as soon as possible in my effort to beat everyone else to doing it.
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